Long-term objectives are to provide the materials whereby biodynamic compounds will be discovered and developed as pharmaceuticals for improving human well-being in specific health areas, while at the same time providing for sustained economic growth and the conservation of biodiversity in northern Peru. Fundamental to those aims is the collection and screening of plants that have been used medicinally by peoples in Peru and elsewhere in South America for generations to treat broad ranges of illnesses. Primary screens will be conducted to test for activity against a number of infectious agents, including respiratory viruses, herpes viruses, pathogenic yeasts, and tuberculosis. When crude extracts prove positive biodirected assays will allow active fractions to be identified. Isolation and characterization of these principles will provide phytochemicals that could be developed into new pharmaceuticals. Mass spectrometry is used in their characterization.